Labor group disputes PSA’s jobless data

CEBU, Philippines — The militant labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) has disputed the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) report showing a lower unemployment rate, asserting that the number of Filipinos without jobs actually rose in September 2025.

“If we dig deeper into the jobs numbers, we find that there are more Filipinos without gainful employment in September compared to the previous month, contrary to the PSA’s declaration,” said Dennis Derige, PM Cebu spokesperson, in a statement.

The PSA reported that the official number of unemployed persons in September stood at 1.96 million, down from 2.03 million in August, which translated to a slight dip in the unemployment rate from 5.3% to 5.1%.

However, Derige noted that about 572,000 Filipinos who were classified as either employed or unemployed in August left the labor force by September.

“If we add these to the 1.96 million officially unemployed, then we arrive at 2.53 million Filipinos without jobs in September,” he said.

Derige argued that the PSA’s definition of unemployment is too narrow.

“If you worked even for just one hour in the previous week, you are considered employed. Conversely, if you are without a job but not actively looking for work—perhaps because you are discouraged—you are considered outside the labor force and not counted as unemployed,” he explained.

He said this narrow definition understates the true extent of joblessness.

“In truth, so many kababayans are without gainful work. This is even more true in Cebu, which has been devastated by Typhoon Tino,” Derige added.

PM urged the government to implement a jobs guarantee program, noting that the private sector cannot absorb all displaced workers.

“Preferably, these alternative jobs should be green, decent, and long-term, instead of the current TUPAD program, which mostly provides emergency street-cleaning jobs,” Derige said.

The latest PSA data also showed that underemployment—those working less than their desired hours—remains a concern, highlighting continued vulnerabilities in the labor market.

As Typhoon Tino disrupted livelihoods across Cebu, labor advocates are calling for sustainable employment programs to help affected communities recover and rebuild.